Michigan lawmakers OK substitute for algebra class

The Michigan Legislature has passed a bill that would give high school students more options to avoid taking algebra II and still graduate.

The bill would let students substitute a statistics or data analysis class in place of the advanced algebra class. The legislation passed the House by a 104-3 vote and passed the Senate by a 32-3 vote on Thursday.

The legislation now goes to Gov. Jennifer Granholm for her consideration. Granholm's administration has resisted changes to the graduation standards.

Some lawmakers have sought to remove algebra II from the list of typical graduation requirements ever since the tougher standards were signed into law four years ago.